Can Innovation Commons be managed digitally – and should they be?

This report explores whether digital infrastructure can support innovation commons – and under what institutional conditions. It presents key learnings from WP3 of the project Development and Application of Innovation Commons for Strengthening Innovation Eco-Systems, where an AI-based Knowledge Manager, a community platform, and distributed knowledge nodes were explored in practice. The report shows that technology can make curated knowledge more searchable, reusable, and accessible. At the same time, one of its central conclusions is that technology alone cannot create a functioning innovation commons. Long-term value depends on clear governance, active stewardship, metadata discipline, traceability, licensing conditions, and a living community where people continue to develop shared resources over time. The report also points to questions for further exploration, including how AI-generated synthesis affects attribution and licensing conditions, how knowledge can be shared across distributed nodes without losing local context, and how digital infrastructure can be developed as part of a broader institutional system. It is relevant for actors working with innovation ecosystems, public-sector collaboration, digital infrastructure, and knowledge sharing.